Police begin clearing Ceuta’s Trampolín beach camp and transfer residents for identification
Spanish police began clearing part of the Trampolín beach settlement in Ceuta and took groups of residents by bus to the CATE reception centre near the Tarajal crossing. There they were identified and offered accommodation or voluntary return to Morocco. Minors were separated for processing with an interpreter present. Police warned that temporary accommodation capacity could limit the clearance, leaving the operation’s final extent unresolved.
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Police clear the beach settlement in stages
Spanish police began clearing part of the Trampolín beach settlement in Ceuta on Sunday. ElDiario.es described vans surrounding the camp before dawn and officers dividing it into sectors for a gradual clearance. The Brussels Times also reported that the first phase of the operation was under way. Ceuta is a Spanish-administered city on the North African coast. Its National Police spokeswoman warned that a lack of space in temporary accommodation could prevent everyone from being removed in the same phase.[1], [2]
Buses take residents to the identification centre
From eight in the morning, police gathered hundreds of residents at the beach entrance, where the Red Cross distributes food. Groups boarded buses, including municipal vehicles, for the CATE centre beside the Tarajal border crossing. CATE is the temporary reception centre where the identification process takes place. There, people were offered access to government accommodation or voluntary return to Morocco. The transfer to that centre was an observed part of the clearance, while the options presented there concerned what would happen after identification.[1]
Children are separated with an interpreter present
At about half past ten, police accompanied by an interpreter asked minors to sit in the front rows. Many showed birth certificates or identity documents. Once identified, they were separated from the larger group and moved about 200 metres away to await transfer; women were also present in that group. ElDiario.es recorded a mother’s account of being separated with her four-year-old son. No serious incidents were reported during the early hours of the operation. The on-site account describes a partial clearance and actual transfers, with children still present on the beach during the morning.[1]
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